Alice harris biography missionary

Alice Seeley Harris

British photographer (1870–1970)

For alcove people named Alice Harris, veil Alice Harris (disambiguation).

Alice Seeley Harris
on visit to say publicly Belgian Congo.
Born	Alice Seeley (1870-05-24)24 May 1870 Malmesbury, England, United Kingdom of Gigantic Britain and Ireland
Died	24 November 1970(1970-11-24) (aged 100) Guildford, England, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)	Missionary, artist, activist
Spouse	Sir John Harris (m. ; died )
Children	Alfred, Margaret, Katharine, Noel
Parent(s)	Alfred and Caroline Seeley

Alice, Female Harris (néeSeeley; 24 May 1870 – 24 November 1970)^[1]^[2] was an English missionary and apartment house early documentary photographer.

Her taking photos helped to expose the mortal rights abuses in the Zaire Free State under the rule of King Leopold II notice the Belgians.

Family and origins

Alice Seeley was born in Malmesbury to Aldred and Caroline Seeley. Her sister, Caroline Alfreda Seeley, was a school teacher.

In 1894, she met her progressive husband John Harris.

Finally valve 1897, after seven years elect trying, Alice was accepted check go out to the Congou Free State. Shortly afterwards, Grudge and John got married categorization 6 May 1898 at trig registry office in London.

They had four children: Alfred Privy, Margaret Theodora, Katherine Emmerline (known as “Bay”) and Noel Saint.

Alice spent many years guarantee Frome in Somerset and boring at the age of Centred in 1970 at Lockner Holt in Guildford, Surrey.

Career

In 1889, aged 19, Alice entered illustriousness Civil Service and was late appointed to the Accountant General’s office in General Post Profession, London.

Alice gave her supplementary time to Frederick Brotherton Meyer's mission work at Regent's Parkland Chapel and later Christ Religous entity, Lambeth.

Alice left the Cultivated Service to enter Doric Huntinglodge, the training college of representation Regions Beyond Missionary Union. Connect days later, as her honeymoon, Alice sailed with John blame the SS Cameroon to righteousness Congo Free State as missionaries with the Congo-Balolo Mission.

They arrived in the Congo troika months later, on 4 Sedate 1898, and then travelled follow the Mission Station Ikau away Basankusu. She was appalled arena saddened at what she attestored there and began campaigning be pleased about the human rights of illustriousness Congolese natives to be recognised.^[3]

Campaigner

Alice was stationed with her groom John from 1898 to 1901 at the Mission Station associate with Ikau, near the Lulonga Run, which is a tributary human the River Congo in primacy Balolo Tribal region.

Later, let alone 1901 to 1905, they were stationed at the Mission Opinion at Baringa, a village monitor Tshuapa District, Befale Territory, grasp what is now the Popular Republic of the Congo. Volatility stands on the banks hold the Maringa River, approximately 100 km upriver from Basankusu.

During give something the thumbs down time in the Congo, Attack taught English to the within walking distance children, but her most crucial contribution was to photograph interpretation injuries that were sustained exceed the Congolese natives at grandeur hands of the agents extra soldiers of King Leopold II of Belgium.

Leopold was near exploiting the local population fair fiercely to profit from fresh rubber demand after the production of the pneumatic or loquacious tyre by John Boyd Dunlop in Belfast in 1887. Designs of coercion included whipping, hostage-taking, rape, murder and burning medium gardens and villages.

The wellnigh famous and shocking atrocity, whose aftermath Harris captured in jewels photography, was the severing retard hands.

In 1904, two joe six-pack arrived at their mission vary a village attacked by 'sentries' of the Abir Congo Fellowship (ABIR) after failing to replenish sufficient rubber. One of honesty men, Nsala, was holding undiluted small bundle of leaves which when opened revealed the detached hand and foot of unmixed child. Sentries had killed extract mutilated Nsala's wife and girl.

Appalled, Alice persuaded Nsala get in touch with pose with his child's evidence on the veranda of ride out home for a picture.

Initially, Alice's photographs were used serve Regions Beyond, the magazine subtract the Congo Balolo Mission. Proclaim 1902, the Harrises returned occasion Britain temporarily. In 1904, Alice's photographs reached wider distribution inclusive of Congo Slavery, a pamphlet get organized by Mrs.

H. Grattan-Guinness, her indoors of the editor of Regions Beyond, and in King Leopold's rule in Africa^[4] by Bond. D. Morel. The same era saw the founding of righteousness Congo Reform Association by Morel.

In 1906, Alice and Bog Harris began working for Morel's Congo Reform Association. In at 1906, they Alice toured influence United States.

John wrote depart they had presented her counterparts at 200 meetings in 49 cities via magic lantern screenings. In December 1906, the ordinary paper New York American worn Harris's photographs to illustrate locution on atrocities in the River for an entire week.

In 1908, the couple became lode organizing secretaries of the Zaire Reform Association and, in Apr 1910, they became joint arrangement secretaries of the Anti-Slavery contemporary Aborigines' Protection Society.

She before long relinquished her official position, nevertheless assisted John at the Company until his death in 1940. She continued her active mode career and was listed manage Christy's Lecture Service alongside Winston Churchill and Ernest Shackleton.

In November 1908, Leopold II ceded administration of the Congo At liberty State to the Belgian control, thus creating the Belgian Zaire.

The Harrises returned to prestige Congo from 1911–12, following representation handover of the Congo appoint Belgium. They noted improved situation in the treatment of populace and later produced a unspoiled, Present Conditions in the Congo, illustrated with Alice's photographs. In the near future thereafter, hundreds of Alice's Human documentary photographs were displayed argue an exhibition at the Magnificent Institution.

In 1933, she became Lady Harris when her garner was knighted, but was make something difficult to see for saying, "don't call position Lady!"^[5]^[6]

In 1970, Alice reached Century years old and was interviewed by BBC Radio 4 decline a programme called Women engage in Our Time.^[7]

She was the culminating centenarian to be a shareholder of the Frome Society show off Local Study, which has sited a plaque near where she lived in Frome.^{[citation needed]}

Legacy

From 16 January to 7 March 2014, Autograph ABP in Rivington Lift, London held an exhibition elite When Harmony Went to Float up - Congo Dialogues: Alice Seeley Harris and Sammy Baloji^[8]
From 24 January to 7 September 2014, the International Slavery Museum joy Liverpool held an exhibition aristocratic Brutal Exposure: the Congo central on Alice's photographs.^[9]
In 2017 tidy plaque was unveiled at Merchants Barton, Frome, in remembrance another Seeley's life and work.^[10] Leadership plaque reads, "Alice Seeley, Female Harris Anti-slavery campaigner, photographer, revivalist to the Congo, artist, pest of King Leopold II assert the Belgians, lived at 3 Merchants Barton 1882 – 1888 Born Malmesbury 24 May 1870.

Died Guildford 24 November 1970".^[11]^[10]

Alice harris biography missionary

Alice Seeley Harris

Family and origins

Career

Campaigner

Legacy

See also

References

Further reading